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An Eclectic and Spirited Line-Up
Dancers! Musicians! Artists! Food Trucks! Air Conditioning! FREE Admission!
MAD’s 4th Annual Celebration of the Arts will be fabulous—and it all happens on Friday, August 3 in Midtown Kingston at Cornell Creative Arts Center at The Arc of Ulster-Greene.
Food trucks will be parked near the entrance, there’s plenty of parking in the nearby lot, and our banner is already up.
We’ve been rolling out the details over the past few weeks, and have just added another stellar group of musicians to the line-up: Greek Night, a Balkan-inspired band!
The musicians are:
Max Fass – accordion
Tim Allen – clarinet
Laura Wilson Crimmins – violin
Sean Crimmins – bouzouki
Chris Andersen – darbuka, percussio
What began as an informal get together to play the music of Eastern Europe at Laura and Seth’s house has blossomed into a band of people who love sharing the music of Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Turkey and other Balkans regions. Their lively music in odd meters and unusual scales is made for dancing and celebration—a perfect fit for our Celebration of the Arts!
Got some time to help out?
MAD is an all-volunteer group, and we could use your help with the following:
Be part of the action on Friday, August 3rd—before, during or after the MAD Celebration of the Arts!
- Set Up, Take Down
- Direct People to Seats
- Direct Traffic
- Distribute Programs
- Distribute Posters & Postcards
- Staff the MAD Info Table
Facebook message us with your contact information or send an email to Susan Whelan mail@madkingston.org.
In 2017, the Kingston Common Council and the Kingston Arts Commission designated a space in Midtown to honor Pauline Oliveros, so it’s a fitting place to begin this year’s Celebration of the Arts. Festivities kick off at the Deep Listening Plaza at Broadway Commons on Friday, August 3 at 5 p.m. when Mayor Steve Noble unveils the sign and leads a short dedication ceremony.
Following a brief ceremony, a parade from Deep Listening Plaza to Cornell Creative Arts Center at The Arc will be led by several huge paper mache processional figures from Arm of the Sea Theater and accompanied by the Percussion Orchestra of Kingston (POOK) and Energy Dance Company.
The extraordinary lineup at Cornell Creative Arts Center at The Arc, curated by accomplished composer and musician, Peter Wetzler, features performances by the following artists:
The Hipstones (singer/songwriter duo)
Jamie Saft and New Zion (reggae/dub)
Greek Night (Balkan inspired band)
Andrea Shaut (piano)
Eleni Reyes (singer)
Donny Mapes (singer)
MAD will once again bestow its Red Goat Awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in Kingston. This year’s awardees are performer and director, Drew Andrews, from Center for Creative Education, and Lara Giordano, from PUGG and D.R.A.W.
MAD is also sponsoring the Tibetan artist/photographer/humanitarian Kunsang Tenzin, who will be displaying his photographs of Tibetan life. Tenzin will appear with Grammy-nominated singer and beloved Kingston resident, Yungchen Lhamo.
Admission is FREE, and there will be food trucks parked near the entrance.
If you would like to sponsor an artist for this celebratory event, please contact Anne Bailey at anne@baileypottery.com.
Where IS Cornell Creative Arts Center at The ARC?
Though the 10,000 square foot space inside will be air-conditioned and pulsing with impossible to miss music, art and creative energies, the building itself may be a bit tricky to find. The entrance is located at the corner of Bruyn Avenue and Cornell Street: The official address is 139 Cornell Street, but if you’re using GPS navigation, punch in 80 Bruyn Avenue. There is free parking in The Arc lot (with parking lot entrances on Bruyn and Ten Broeck Avenues).
See you then!
June 18, 2018
The Line-up Is Shaping Up
The Hipstones are Anthea White and Mark Palmer, and they’re also the owners of a new coffee shop and provisions store, Village Coffee & Goods, at 17 Railroad Avenue. For Celebration of the Arts, Anthea and Mark will shed their shopkeepers’ aprons and perform with their band. These two natives of Sydney have toured Australia, Europe, the U.S., and most recently Brooklyn – and MAD is honored to host their Kingston debut!
Jamie Saft and New Zion is a reggae/dub-meets-piano trio featuring Saft on keyboards. In 2016, All About Jazz wrote: “What dub has always needed is improvising artists like Saft and (Brazilian percussionist Cyro) Baptista. Certainly, improvised music benefits here from this reggae/dub/Brazilian connection.” Seems fair to assume an irresistible urge to dance will arise under the hypnotic effect of their music. Be glad The Arc offers plenty of space to shake your booty!
Percussion Orchestra Of Kingston (POOK) – one of our Celebration’s perennial favorites – will return to share their love of drumming and kick the festivities into an energetic gear. Three professional percussionists started this audition-only group in 1997 and more than 20 years later, these dedicated young musicians showcase rhythms from all over the world in distinctive arrangements of traditional material and their own originals. Hundreds of area kids have been a part of this ensemble, which performs at MAD events, as well as at West Point, Jacob’s Pillow and other major venues.
Andrea Shaut plays both piano and trombone and has served as pianist for the West Point Military Academy Glee Club and The Kazz Music Orchestra, among other gigs. Maybe you’ve heard her play locally at ArtBar or at ASK, and she’s also a talented accompanist and coach for young professional musicians and local school choirs.
May 22, 2018
Celebration of the Arts at The Arc!
Kingston’s 4th Annual Celebration of the Arts will be held on Friday, August 3 from 6:30 – 9 p.m.
MAD is hosting this year’s dynamic free event at The Arc of Ulster-Greene’s new and exciting creative hub at Cornell Creative Arts Center. It’s slated to officially open in 2019, but you don’t have to wait that long to get a peek inside! Come to Celebration of the Arts to enjoy performances by world-renowned local musicians and mingle with your creative community of friends.
Peter Wetzler, the City of Kingston’s Distinguished Artist Awardee, is once again curating the Celebration of the Arts. In addition to a world-class lineup of musicians, MAD will bestow two Red Goat Awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in Kingston. This year’s awardees are performer and director, Drew Andrews, from Center for Creative Education and Lara Giordano, from Kingston High School, PUGG, DRAW and the YMCA.
